In this update, we want to share a little information about our masteries. In Titan Quest II, just like in the first Titan Quest, you will be combining two masteries to form your own class.

In the initial Early Access release, you will have access to the Earth, Storm and Warfare masteries, with many more coming as we drop our updates. You’ll be picking these early in the campaign, as we want you to experience the possible synergies between them without much of a gap between the two unlocks.

Our overarching goal is to make you feel like you’re a hero blessed by the gods themselves, possessing superhuman powers. Improving and growing your powers will be a perilous journey, but this will be necessary in order to survive against Nemesis.

As for the actual mechanics, you will be able to equip a maximum of 10 skills in your ability bar. This will allow for a wide range of playstyles, such as ones where you focus on a primary damage skill and a handful of support skills, to builds where you utilize several alternate primary damage skills with several support skills. Titan Quest II will greatly reward you when you work out skill synergies, but will also cater to those who heavily invest into a more limited toolkit.

In past blog posts we already mentioned that we will be offering separate active and passive points within skill trees, and that your active abilities can be customized via modifiers. So this time, let’s talk a bit more about what’s in the masteries instead, and we’ll also show some modifier examples.


Combine fire and earth magic to leave the battlefield in ruins.

• Many of your abilities and modifiers revolve around setting the battlefield ablaze and engulfing your enemies in flames.
  
• Utilize fire in a controlled manner, or completely let go of any regard for safety and sacrifice your own health in favor of maximum destruction.
  
• Cause enemies to burn over time.
  
• Trying to not get burned, but still tempted by this mastery? Take control over earth and rock to shake things up a little, such as with earthquakes

Fissure is a line AoE skill where you break the ground open in front of you, dealing strike damage. With the Lava Fissure modifier, the fissure gets filled with lava, now dealing fire damage as well, at the cost of extra energy.

Adding in the Additional Fissures modifier will reduce your damage, but spawn extra fissures, helping you cover a much larger area.

Take control over the battlefield with the powers of ice and lightning.

• From area of effect abilities that regularly deal damage, to modifying abilities to also electrocute enemies on hit, fighting with the power of Storm will result in a battlefield full of thunder and lightning!
  
• Use ice abilities to chill or even freeze your enemies, giving you total control over what happens in the next few moments.
  
• Utilize lightning to shock and electrocute your enemies, locking them in place.

Cyclone is a static circular AoE skill where you create a whirling storm, dealing cold damage. With the Blizzard modifier, more damage gets dealt, and Chill/Freeze has a chance to be applied to enemies.

The Personal Storm modifier puts a smaller version of Cyclone around your character, following you around, allowing you to either stack the cyclones, or to hit more enemies at once.

Display your expertise in combat, becoming the ultimate warrior.

• Warfare features attacks for all weapon types, giving you significant freedom to design your build.
  
• This even includes abilities specially designed for ranged weapons other than magic staves. A warrior can be a juggernaut wading into the fray or one who specializes in attacking from afar.
  
• Support abilities help with getting into and staying in close combat, such as via leaping into battle, or stunning enemies nearby with a powerful stomp.

Leap is a versatile mobility skill, allowing you to jump into combat, or out of trouble, while dealing some strike damage. The Cooldown Charge mod allows you to cast Leap twice in a row, at the cost of a longer cooldown.

Seismic Leap will increase your damage on landing, while also dealing damage at your launch position.


When picking your abilities, we want you to think about how to form interconnections between your two masteries. We are ensuring this via global mechanics that all masteries will feature in some form - sometimes via base abilities, other times via modifiers. For example, you could build up status stacks with a Warfare ability, and then consume the stacks with a Storm ability for a more powerful effect there.

Different masteries will be offering different global mechanics, allowing for unique interactions between specific mastery pairs that not all others can cover.

We will soon be sharing some more gameplay footage, so stay tuned--you will get to see all of this in action!

By now, some of you have already had the chance to play a demo version of Titan Quest II at Gamescom. But even if you haven’t, we want to use this month’s update to give you a look at the content included in the demo and what it means for our approach to quests, narrative, and exploration.


Introducing the Story
In Medias Res
The Gamescom demo starts in the middle of the action. In the full game, you will play a short prologue chapter before washing ashore at the point where the Gamescom demo begins. This is a more narrative-driven section of the game, as it introduces the player to two major characters, their main quest goal for a new chapter, and the overall chapter conflict.
The player character wakes up on a strange shore, crawling with monsters, having just narrowly escaped Nemesis’s wrath. They have a mission to seek the Moirai, the goddesses of Fate, to learn how to defeat Nemesis, but with little idea where they are or how to find the Moirai, they first have to explore their surroundings.
It soon becomes clear that all is not well here. Evidence of recent destruction litters the beach, and there are ichthian battle parties on the prowl.
An Ally
Fortunately, the player discovers that they are not entirely alone. This section of the game introduces the player character to the divine horse Areion for the first time. Areion is the son of Poseidon and Demeter, and he once belonged to the mighty Herakles. But currently, he is trapped in a small charm.
Areion acts as the player character’s guide to the world of Titan Quest II, seeking to advise and protect the player on their quest to defeat Nemesis. He features heavily in this section, where he is first introduced, but takes on more of a supporting role as the game goes on.
A Missing God
With Areion’s help, the player learns that they need a god’s assistance to open the gates to the Moirai temple. Fortunately, Areion has an old friend in the area: Glaukos, god of seafarers. Unfortunately, it seems Glaukos has gone missing. The demo ends before the player can find out what happened to Glaukos, but the search for the god is a major element of the main questline of this chapter of Titan Quest II.
The Ichthian Threat
In addition to the player character’s personal goal to find Glaukos and reach the Moirai, this section of the game also introduces the central conflict of this region. The ichthians, monstrous fish-men, have managed to sabotage a dam and flood the farmlands below. Pyrgos village, the main settlement in the region, sits high atop the cliffs, but still needs protection from ichthians coming up from the beaches. The player character is pulled into helping with Pyrgos’s defenses by an eccentric old man named Philon.
Quests, Events, and Exploration
The Gamescom demo shows off many of the different content types featured in Titan Quest II.

Fated Quests
We call our main questline “Fated Quests,” because they are destined to be completed, and they tell the story of the player character’s battle with Nemesis.
These quests tend to feature the bigger narrative moments of the game, but also some of our most exciting gameplay. Big boss fights, dramatic escapes, tricky encounters, and one-of-a-kind events serve to make these quests memorable and fun to play.
In the Gamescom demo, the quest “A Strange Shore,” in which the player is introduced to Areion and Philon, is a Fated Quest, and it acts as the backbone of the demo. But there’s much more in store for players who wander off the beaten path.

World Quests
The Fates do not dictate everything. The world of Titan Quest II is full of opportunities for heroism, glory, or personal enrichment. World quests are discovered both through exploration and talking to NPCs you encounter on the way.
Players who reached the end of the Gamescom demo were able to find the world quest “Cages in the Dark” and free some of the very important citizens of Pyrgos from the ichthians.
World Quests can take a lot of different forms. They can focus on a mechanic, a mini-boss, a character, a twist, piece of mythology, or the central conflict of the chapter. You might find yourself tangling with a treacherous naiad, fighting the ghost of an ancient war hero, or saving someone’s life from a Gorgon snakebite.
Our World Quests are designed to be exploration-friendly. For example, if the player finds the cave full of prisoners in the Gamescom demo before they find the official questgiver, they can free the prisoners right away; no need to wait for a questgiver to ask them to.

Exploration Events
One of our big goals for Titan Quest II is to encourage and reward exploration. So besides our Fated and World Quests, we’ve included Exploration Events throughout the world. These are small encounters--a talking jar, a statue of Herakles surrounded by mysterious offering bowls, an encounter with a battle-hardened ichthian commander--which do not get tracked in your quest log and which are designed to be found and completed while exploring. Paying attention to your surroundings pays off, as each of these events has a unique flavor and rewards you for completing it.

The Gamescom demo features four of these Exploration Encounters. Which ones did you find?

We hope you liked this look behind the curtain of the content featured in our Gamescom demo. See you next month!

A Dive As Deep As Hades: Latest Titan Quest II Video Explains Gameplay Details

Munich, Germany / Vienna, Austria - September 5th, 2024: The essence of every ARPG lies in its core mechanics, and for dedicated fans, understanding how these elements work and interconnect is essential. Titan Quest II is pulling back the curtain on these fundamentals. Join Balint Marczin, Lead Systems Designer, and Florian Jonas, Technical Art Director at Grimlore Games, for a 40-minute playthrough of the recent Gamescom demo. Get an in-depth look at the core systems of Titan Quest II.

Discover more about the story, the setting, and the combat mechanics. Learn how the loot system is designed, how attributes enable personalized builds, and what the masteries are all about.

Check out the gameplay video here: https://youtu.be/KAOO7UQuhQU
(Please note: This gameplay footage is from a limited demo and does not represent the final quality of the game or showcase all features to their full extent.)

For further details on Titan Quest II, please refer to our latest update: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030


For a deep dive on various other topics check out the previous dev diaries:
• Gameplay details: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4247539099365279394?l=german

• Sparta: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4128182933480857454

• The Ichthians: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4206998459081394117

• Music: https://steamoss.com/games/1154030/announcements/detail/3889485811000797282

• World Design: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4024597767786230259

• Mythical Creatures: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4175475797755916830

• Mythological Level Design: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4152961604362682886


The Titan Quest II Announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/bY6yb8OoFvw


Wishlist Titan Quest II: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/1154030/Titan_Quest_II/

Learn more on the official website: https://titanquest2.thqnordic.com/

Follow Titan Quest II on X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/TitanQuestGame

Follow Titan Quest II on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TitanQuestOfficial


Enjoy & stay tuned!

Early Access for Titan Quest II will launch in Winter 2024/2025!

Munich, Germany / Vienna, Austria: The day is near - today, THQ Nordic is thrilled to announce the Early Access start for Titan Quest II. In Winter 2024/2025, players will be able to dive into this epic odyssey and experience first hand what it means to rival the gods themselves!

Forged in the creative crucible of Grimlore Games in Germany, Titan Quest II is currently under development. This epic odyssey is destined for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X, eagerly anticipated to launch when the time comes.

For further details on Titan Quest II, please refer to our latest update: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030


For a deep dive on various other topics check out the previous dev diaries:
• Sparta: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4128182933480857454

• The Ichthians: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4206998459081394117

• Music: https://steamoss.com/games/1154030/announcements/detail/3889485811000797282

• World Design: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4024597767786230259

• Mythical Creatures: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4175475797755916830

• Mythological Level Design: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/news/app/1154030/view/4152961604362682886


The Titan Quest II Announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/bY6yb8OoFvw

Wishlist Titan Quest II: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/1154030/Titan_Quest_II/

Learn more on the official website: https://titanquest2.thqnordic.com/

Follow Titan Quest II on X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/TitanQuestGame

Follow Titan Quest II on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TitanQuestOfficial


Enjoy & stay tuned!

Shots Fired: THQ Nordic's Digital Showcase Unveils New Games, Gameplay, and Exciting Teasers!

Vienna/Austria - August 2nd, 2024: The stage lights have dimmed, and the 2024 THQ Nordic Digital Showcase has officially taken its final bow! We've had a blast unveiling a treasure trove of game updates, reveals, and surprises. Missed the live show? No worries! You can catch all the action on demand across our official channels:

Re-watch the Showcase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWI5exTf9hs

We're rolling out the red carpet for our biggest sale of the year! To celebrate our latest announcements and all the games you love, we're slashing prices like monsters in Titan Quest II. From August 1st, 19:00 CEST / 10:00 AM PDT to August 15th, 19:00 CEST / 10:00 AM PDT, you can grab dozens of our titles at blockbuster discounts - get Darksiders III for 80% off, the Titan Quest Anniversary Edition for 80% off, or snag South Park: Snow Day at 50% off! It's the perfect way to tide you over while you wait for our upcoming hits. Don't miss out — check out the discounted games, upcoming releases, and playable demos right here:

https://steamoss.com/steamstore/sale/THQNordicPublisherSale2024


And now to the best part - here's everything shown in THQ Nordic's Digital Showcase 2024:

You didn't see this one coming, even after we shared a few hints. This brand-new IP is developed by Weappy Studio, the creative masterminds behind This Is the Police 1+2, Rebel Cops, or This Is the President. The Eternal Life of Goldman is a breathtaking platformer adventure where you explore a vast hand-drawn Archipelago, inspired by ancient fables and depicted in classic frame-by-frame animation. Your ultimate goal? Defeat a mysterious Deity!

Check out the announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/MDMPSmoePe4

Wishlist on Steam:
https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/2254950/The_Eternal_Life_of_Goldman/

Interplanetary adventure Space for Sale just launched into Early Access on Steam! Go solo or share the exciting space realtor journey with a friend and double your chances of success in two-player co-op. Venture out in your trusty ship to discover the wonders of the solar system! Be smart about your approach, learn how the local lifeforms survive, and use your discoveries to enhance the structures and gadgets you create. Research, gather resources, and construct your base - cause yes, you've heard correctly, this space is for sale!

Get Space for Sale right now (and enjoy the 20% launch discount!): https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/1624060/Space_for_Sale/

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/lZ_rXr3bNe4

Embark on a magical journey in Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed! Shape your adventure with the stroke of a brush and transform Wasteland as Mickey Mouse in this beautifully recreated 3D platformer.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is available for pre-order and is scheduled for release across PS4™, PS5™, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo® Switch and PC on September 24, 2024.
Watch the latest trailer: https://youtu.be/R_ZFP4sDsYk

Pre-order now: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/1522160/Disney_Epic_Mickey_Rebrushed/

Ladies and Gentlemen, buckle up and prepare to rev your engines! The ultimate thrill ride is back and more explosive than ever -Wreckfest 2 is set to smash onto PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. This highly anticipated sequel takes the chaos of the racetrack to the next level with a completely overhauled physics engine that delivers unparalleled realism in every bone-crunching collision and metal-twisting crash. Get ready to dominate the track with fully customizable cars, allowing you to create your own unique wrecking machine and share your designs with fellow players around the world. Whether you're tuning your ride for maximum destruction or fine-tuning it for a competitive edge, the possibilities are endless. Don't miss out on the mayhem - wishlist Wreckfest 2 now and be among the first to experience the most destructive racing game ever created.

Watch the announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/PcFycn0BjzE
Wishlist on Steam: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/1203190/Wreckfest_2/

The legendary Action RPG is back with a bang! The gameplay premiere for Titan Quest II has just aired, giving players a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come. Once again, you'll be plunged into the mythological world of ancient Greece, braving formidable challenges, hunting for exquisite loot, and crafting powerful, unique character builds by blending different masteries. Are you ready to carve out your heroic legend?

Forged in the creative crucible of Grimlore Games in Germany, Titan Quest II is currently under development. This epic odyssey is destined for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X, eagerly anticipated to launch when the time comes.

Check out the gameplay reveal trailer: https://youtu.be/uGQ_9OK8pPI
Wishlist on Steam: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/1154030/Titan_Quest_II/

Welcome back to the new and visually stunning Colony: The Gothic 1 Remake unveils gameplay for the first time, taking players back to familiar places - but now in the astonishing splendor of Unreal Engine 5! Dive deeper into the lore, explore combat and magic, and immerse yourself in a living world where fans might discover some hidden new details. Check out Gothic Remake's first gameplay trailer and enjoy the experience!

Watch the gameplay trailer: https://youtu.be/-pwcnbZtATQ
Wishlist on Steam: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/1297900/Gothic_1_Remake/

The Lintukoto Reserve DLC features a diverse array of environments and is home to a rich variety of wildlife, including the elusive Northern Lynx, Mountain Reindeer, Arctic Fox, and the majestic Eurasian Moose. Whether observing from a high vantage point or quietly watching by the river deltas, every moment in Lintukoto Reserve brings a new sight and a deeper connection to nature.
It's available now on PC, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S!

Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/TnVHT_gsYF4
Get it now: https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/3091570/Way_of_the_Hunter__Lintukoto_Reserve/


And just a brief mention about the two mysterious teaser trailers at the end:

The cute little piglet (No, this is NOT the game title!!)
They're coming.

From the creators of Little Nightmares I & II comes an entirely new vision, unlike anything you've seen before.
Find out more about Tarsier Studios' next game at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Tuesday, August 20th, 11 AM PDT / 20:00h CEST.

Watch the teaser: https://youtu.be/j5kVjKCCjzo

Darksiders Teaser
Be prepared to ride again...
Will we reveal anything else at this point in history? No.

Stay tuned and enjoy the teaser: https://youtu.be/WHuefHUAX3g

Enjoy & stay tuned!

One of the most common points of feedback we've been getting from the community is that you want to see gameplay. You won’t have to wait much longer! Tune into the THQ Nordic Showcase on August 2nd to see the first Titan Quest II gameplay trailer!
But there’s more! You will also be able to play Titan Quest II at Gamescom from August 21-25.
Combat pillars
Before getting to the meat of our article today, we wanted to offer more clarity on what kind of aRPG gameplay Titan Quest II offers and that is deeply rooted in what the original Titan Quest offered.

• Titan Quest II is a classic-style top-down aRPG game, with a modern, yet traditional, take on combat.
  
• The original Titan Quest’s enemies were always characterful, and we're doubling down on this by offering a wide variety of enemy types. Stronger foes stand out with their hard-hitting abilities that you must answer in some form (for example, by dodging or preparing a strong defensive build), while weaker enemies are dangerous in numbers, but you can quickly eliminate them with well-placed abilities.
  
• Epic boss fights are also part of the Titan Quest DNA. (Remember Typhon?) Expect a large variety of abilities from our bosses with a clear sequence that you are rewarded for learning.
  
• Your active abilities come from your choice of two masteries. You can equip a large number of abilities at the same time and customize them using modifiers to personalize your build. Masteries also offer separate passive abilities that will drive much of your power scaling. You can choose feats for your passive skills, which add further bonuses.
  
• Level-ups award active skill, passive skill, and attribute points. Attributes and their connected secondary attributes determine what gear you can wear, and they scale your damage and other stats. At certain thresholds, they also unlock skill modifiers that are always active in the background.
  
• On death, the enemies that killed you (and those nearby) respawn at full power. You respawn in the nearest hub, but teleporters are placed across the world for convenience. Expect them near boss locations in particular. An on-death portal helps you get back into action quickly. Co-op parties need to initiate activities like boss fights together and are blocked from leaving until the fight is won… or lost.

Looting, items & character styles
Moving on to the main part of this update, let’s go into a bit more detail on how the item system works and show off some examples!
Since Titan Quest II is a classic-style aRPG, looting and character scaling via items are at the heart of the game. Different locations have an assigned level. This level scales enemy stats as well as those of the items looted. Therefore, progressing further in the game or raising the difficulty level are both directly rewarded with better loot.


To start with, we’re offering the following equipment types:

• 1-Handed Weapons:
  o Swords
  o Spears
  o Daggers
  
• 2-Handed Weapons:
  o Axes
  o Bows
  o Staves
  
• Off-Hand Items:
  o Shields
  
• Armors:
  o Helmets
  o Shoulder Guards/Capes
  o Bracers
  o Leg Guards
  o Torso Armors
  
• Jewellery:
  o 2x Rings
  o Amulet
  
• Potions:
  o Health Potion
  o Energy Potion

These weapons and armor come in six broad categories which can be combined with masteries to create a wide variety of styles. These styles are determined by attributes. There are three offensive character attributes, a supporting defensive attribute, and three secondary attributes:

• Might - Good for powerful aggressive styles, using heavy armor and weapons. Unlocks damage-related skill modifiers.
  
• Knowledge - A more tactical-minded perfectionist or scholarly style. Unlocks scale or utility related skill modifiers.
  
• Agility - Suited for characters with quick eyes and reflexes, who like to outplay their opponents. Unlocks speed-related skill modifiers.
  
• Vigor - Governs health and tenacity as well as overall capability. Sometimes it's enough to be tough.
  
• Resolve - A secondary attribute fueled by your might, knowledge, and vigor. People with extraordinary determination show greater ability to bend the arcane powers of fire and ice to their will, as done by elemental warriors and magi.
  
• Cunning - Pulling from knowledge, agility, and vigor, this is a secondary attribute that gives success to both assassins with poison daggers and druids controlling the weather.
  
• Fitness - A combination of agility, might, and vigor, with obvious advantages for anyone who wants to deliver physical pain.

Attributes and their secondaries together create a highly flexible system that allows you to, for example, split your attribute points across two offensive attributes, thus focusing on the damage types they both contribute to, and enabling gear and unlocks for both attributes. Of course, you can also choose to focus on just one attribute for high values in its related damage traits and rush for the modifiers unlocked there. But your choice of items may be narrower as a consequence.
Pairing all this with the ability to re-spec both attritubes and skills, we make a strong commitment to respecting your time as a player and allowing you to shape your character the way you want to--though this will require some work and experimentation on your part.
In addition, potions don’t get emptied and discarded, as they are equipped items with charges that refill based on damage you do. They also have affixes, lending the further ability to customize your play. The affixes' effects will be active for a short duration as you consume charges. This means that you’ll never have to worry about sacrificing inventory space for stacks of potions, nor about whether you are able to reach the next checkpoint with your potion limit. Simply fight and deal enough damage to get more chugs.


Rarities and affixes
Items in Titan Quest II are heavily defined by their rarity. A weapon’s style determines its base stats and properties, but the number of affixes differs based on rarity.

• Common: only basic properties
  
• Magic: 1-2 affixes
  
• Rare: 3-4 affixes
  
• Infrequent: 2-4 affixes and a special inherent property
  
• Unique: completely custom properties

Basic properties are going to be consistently the same across what we call “item families”--a loose grouping of similar item styles, which we spread across the world so that you get a different look based on where you looted your items from. When it comes to weapons, our system can stitch together different weapon parts in order to create more visual variety for your loot.
But Grimlore, you say, what good is having lots of cool-looking weapons if they are all iron beat sticks for warriors? Glad you asked! In the mystical world of Titan Quest II, you will at times also find more exotic weapons like an icy axe, or a lightsaber. Or was it lightning saber? In any case, these will have more varied damage profiles at a base level (without wasting an affix) for all you battle-magi out there to really take your weapon builds off the beaten path. Your masteries' abilities may help with this as well. These shiny items aren’t considered “unique” in our game’s framework, however. Unique items look fancier than that. We should probably show you.

Where it all goes
Ok, that’s a lot of items, and you want to have your cake and eat it too. We get it--cake is great. So is the caravan system. Ours works quite similarly to the original Titan Quest, but we heard you need a lot more space. Buying chests will act as a bit of an in-game gold sink (no real-world money required; we don’t do that here.) There is no limit to how many chests you can have. They will all work on a cross-character level, although we plan to provide a self-found mode as well, to allow you to isolate your character if you wish. Organize your chests with icons, colors, and names, and you’ll have a pretty solid setup, we think!
That’s all we have for now. We are very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts on your first glimpse of Titan Quest II’s gameplay, and hope that several of you reading will be at Gamescom to experience the game first-hand!

Whatever we said, whatever we did - we didn't mean it, we just will be back for good! We are thrilled to announce that after a year of absence, THQ Nordic is making a grand return to Cologne for gamescom 2024.

Get ready to immerse yourself in Germany's most iconic gaming franchise as the Gothic Remake will be playable at our booth. We eagerly await fans' feedback on this highly anticipated release!

But that's not all! Attendees will also have the opportunity to play Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed. This remake of the 2010 beloved classic, originally envisioned by legendary game designer Warren Spector, takes Mickey Mouse on an epic journey through the Wasteland, a realm of forgotten Disney characters.

The excitement continues with Titan Quest II, an ARPG where you can be among the first in the world to embark on an odyssey for fame, loot, and XP.

We have two more titles playable in Cologne, but we’re keeping those under wraps for now. Stay tuned for their announcement just before gamescom opens on August 21st. Be sure to watch the THQ Nordic Digital Showcase on August 2nd, 2024, for all the details:

Check out the THQ Nordic Digital Showcase 2024 website: https://showcase.thqnordic.com/


THQ Nordic's playable games at gamescom 2024, Hall 7.1, Booth A11/B10
- Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
- Gothic Remake
- Titan Quest II
- "unannounced game #1"
- "unannounced game #2"

THQ Nordic's gamescom lineup will be streamed
Can't make it to Cologne? We've got you covered! THQ Nordic is teaming up with well-known content creators and international press outlets to stream live from our booth directly to your screens. Expect in-depth interviews with our developers and your favorite content creators streaming our games. As gamescom approaches, we’ll share more information about the participating channels and outlets.

Join us at gamescom 2024 for an unforgettable gaming experience!

Long ago, in the year AD 2006, we first embarked on an epic journey that began in ancient Greece. Thrust into the heartland of legend and myth itself, we discovered fetid lairs, explored Mycenaean ruins, and conquered the great Labyrinth of King Minos.

The core element that connects all of these memorable moments is of course the unique and cherished setting of Titan Quest. In order to create an experience worthy of the original, the world of Titan Quest II is being handcrafted from the ground up, and today we want to take a deeper look into what this means.
A Setting of Mythic Proportions
When exploring the world of Titan Quest II you will discover many points of interest--from stately temples to lairs of mythological beasts and the realms of divine beings. Some are along the beaten path, while others are secluded, offering greater mystery and greater rewards, but also deadlier encounters to overcome.

We’ve designed our locations with the history and mythology of ancient Greece in mind. The player might stumble upon ancient ruins that reflect the the style of Bronze Age Mycenaean civilization, while locations more contemporary to the setting of Titan Quest II draw inspiration from the Archaic era. Doric temples and architecture showcase classical Greek style with simplistic columns and detailed upper trims.

In the example above, we have a ruined Doric shrine, surrounded by cascading waterfalls overlooking the turquoise coasts of the Peloponnese. Perhaps it was once used as a pilgrimage site for sailors or fisherman to seek good fortune before their voyage, but now it is overrun and defiled by ichthians. Environmental storytelling like this is an essential part of our level design process and helps reinforce the theme and function of each location. This is just one of many side areas you can come across.
Open World Potential
Titan Quest II’s world is a blend of open roaming spaces and structured points of interest. Our roaming areas are tailored toward freedom of exploration, environmental interaction, verticality, and uncovering secrets. Ladders can be climbed, ledges jumped, and if you look closely, you might even notice that it’s possible to interact with a part of the environment to create a new way forward. Epic vista points reveal glorious panoramic views of the picturesque, handcrafted world.

Meanwhile, smaller side locations and structured points of interest break up the open world, offering opportunities for grand adventures, like a harrowing mountain climb leading to a gryphon’s nest. The world itself provides player guidance, and we're sure you'll be pleased to see the classic 'zone torches' return!
Handcrafting each area means we can use navigation features and really reward those who want to explore every nook and cranny. Keep your eye out for hidden paths and ledges to jump from--you never know what’s waiting on the other side!

These new ways of traversing the world also compliment the verticality of our environments with deep canyons, coastal cliffs along pristine beaches, and backdrops of beautiful Grecian farmlands hinting at where your next adventure or challenge awaits.
Mythological Legacy
Finally, what would Titan Quest be without mythology? This is quite literally where the magic of Titan Quest II comes from, and we’ve designed the moment to moment experience to emphasize a feeling of wonder and myth as you step into the world.

You never know what might be waiting for you just ahead. From towering colossi of the Olympian pantheon, to ancient Trireme shipwrecks yet to be plundered, or even a sunken temple where the remains of ornate statues and sacred chambers, once dedicated to the great sea gods, now lie encrusted with barnacles as the ocean claims them back. A ruined shrine with a mysterious riddle could be an opportunity to win the favor of a god, while a relic of the Titans might be hidden underground, waiting to turn the unsuspecting into monsters. Attention to detail is key to ensuring that all these locations contribute to the end goal of crafting a world worthy of myth and legend.
With these pillars, we hope to create a world that captures all the magic of the original Titan Quest while delivering a rich, modern ARPG experience. What sorts of environments are you most excited to explore in Titan Quest II? Let us know in the comments!

In our March update, we detailed the ichthian faction, but alluded to how not all types of enemies in Titan Quest II form factions. The boss enemies that you encounter are perfect examples of this. Usually fighting alone, these enemies will generally be some of the most lethal encounters you will come across. In today’s update, we give you a glimpse of two of our minibosses: the gryphon and the hippokampos.

Gryphon
Mythologically, gryphons hail from Skythia, a region in eastern Europe and central Asia, where a tribe of them is said to sit atop a hoard of treasure. Like many monsters in Greek mythology, they are a hybrid creature, with a lion’s body and an eagle’s head and wings. When a gryphon moves into the neighborhood, there’s bound to be trouble, as they are known for picking off sheep, goats, pigs, and even wild boars for their supper. A fight with a gryphon is the perfect opportunity for a fledgling Greek hero to prove their mettle. But be warned--gryphons can be crafty creatures.
In combat, the gryphon’s most powerful ability has it take off into the air and utilize a powerful swooping attack. As an agile creature, it will also be capable of pouncing around the player, lashing out several times in a row where least expected. This then gets rounded out by several variants of regular melee attacks. While this is the first and easiest miniboss you will come across, we still intend for it to pose a threat and test your combat fundamentals.
Hippokampos
Hippokampi are what the ancient Greeks believed the adult form of the sea-horse looked like, and you can see that reflected in their colorful, almost feather-light appearance. In the world of Titan Quest II, they were coveted by the ancient Mycenaeans for their menageries. As mounts to the Nereids and chariot-horses for Poseidon, they can be quite dangerous when provoked.
The hippokampos is somewhat more advanced in combat than the gryphon. Utilizing a mixture of cold and lightning damage, it will hit the player with a barrage of powerful attacks, such as a telegraphed, but sudden geyser eruption, as well as a powerful water jet followed up by a stunning lightning strike. It will also be able to hurl ice shards at the player, and make use of several melee attacks, as well as a defensive barrier. What’s more, we are experimenting with making this creature completely immune to crowd control effects (e.g. stun, freezing) outside of telegraphed windows of vulnerability. These aspects together will require that the player makes use of all they have learned so far. A good sense of attack timings, movement during combat, and evasion will be rewarded.
As far as our vision for these boss encounters goes, studious players that learn the moves of these creatures will be best equipped to respond to them--it’s all about building a rhythm and achieving a clean execution. To aid this learning process, these creatures perform clear sequences of attacks, making it so that clean play can result in victory on a first attempt, provided you survive as you are learning the enemy’s moves! Mind you, death carries a heavy price in Titan Quest II. The entire encounter that killed you (whether it’s a boss or not) gets fully reset, and you will respawn in the previous hub (convenient teleport options will be provided, though). These creatures will certainly have the tools to put players down when they’re making several mistakes. Even defeats can teach useful lessons, however.
You can also always choose to work on getting a little stronger before returning for your next attempt. You can level up beyond the current area’s level, or simply farm for items that help against the specific boss in question, such as via resistances. On the other hand, if you are looking for even more of a challenge, you can raise the difficulty by invoking rituals.
Lastly, these fights are not one-off experiences, as you will be able to re-summon these beasts in order to reap the rewards again and again. We will talk about these rewards in more detail soon.